Committees
A meeting of The Highland and Islands Fire Board will take place in the Council Chamber, Highland Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Friday 27 November 2009 at 1.30 p.m.
You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.
Yours faithfully,
M Morris
Clerk
Declarations of Interest – Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Long Service Presentations
The Chief Fire Officer will make 20 years Service presentations to District Administration Staff.
A retirement presentation will also be made to Mr Murray MacKay, former Head of Engineering and Supplies.
3. Minutes of Meeting of 10 September 2009
There are submitted for confirmation as a correct record the Minutes of Meeting of 10 September 2009.
4. Minutes of Audit Working Group – 30 October 2009
There are circulated Minutes of Meeting of the Audit Working Group held on 30 October 2009, together with, for information, Report No. AUD-10-09 dated October 2009 by the Senior Audit Manager for Audit Scotland, comprising her finalised Report to Members and Controller of Audit summarising Audit Scotland’s findings from their 2008/09 audit of the Highland and Islands Fire Board, the draft Report having previously been considered by the Working Group.
The Board is asked to approve the Minutes of Meeting of the Working Group.
5. Minutes of Integrated Risk Management Planning Working Group 6
November 2009
There are circulated Minutes of Meeting of the Integrated Risk Management Planning Working Group held on 6 November 2009, together with Report No. IRMP-06-09 dated 28 October 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer setting out the IRMP Risk Review Stage IIa Sustainability Report, previously considered by the Working Group at that meeting.
The Board is asked to approve the recommendations of the Working Group.
6. Revenue Expenditure 2009/10 – Monitoring Statement
There is circulated for noting Report No. Fire-38-09 dated 13 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer setting out the current position of the Revenue Monitoring Statement for the period to 31 October 2009.
7. Revenue Budget 2010/11
Minutes of Policy and Finance Working Group - 6 November 2009
There are circulated Minutes of Meeting of the Policy and Finance Working Working Group held on 6 November 2009, together with Report No. PFWG-03-09 dated 30 October 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer on the draft Revenue Budget for 2010/11, previously considered by the Working Group at that meeting.
The Board is asked to approve the recommendations of the Working Group.
8. Capital Expenditure Monitoring Report 2009/10
There is circulated for noting Report No Fire-39-09 dated 13 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer showing the expenditure and income relating to the Board’s capital programme for the period to 31 October 2009, together with statement by the Treasurer.
9. Capital Budget – Top Slice Bid 2010/11
There is circulated for approval Report No. Fire-40-09 dated 16 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer recommending the bid for capital top slice funding for 2101/11.
10. Revenue Reserves Strategy
There is circulated for approval Report No. Fire-41-09 dated 13 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer recommending a draft Revenue Reserves Strategy.
11. Performance Reporting
There is circulated for noting Report No. Fire-42-09 dated 18 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer informing Members of incidents of note, as well as providing an update on performance.
12. Fire Conveners’ Forum Update
There is circulated Report No. Fire-43-09 dated 13 November 2009 by the Clerk introducing a briefing note on recent discussions at the Scottish Fire Conveners Forum held in Inverness on 23 October 2009, on which the Convener will comment.
There is also circulated for information and comment copy response submitted to the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament by the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, supported by the Scottish Fire Conveners Forum.
13. Pensions – Discretionary Policies
There is circulated Report No Fire-44-09 dated 2 November 2009 by the Treasurer on changes in the Highland Council Pension Fund’s policy on Pension Transfers under the discretions contained in the Local Government (Scotland) Pension Scheme 2008.
The Board is asked:
i. to note that the Highland Council Pension Fund will no longer accept
“transfers in” from Personal Pension schemes, other than in exceptional
circumstances; and
ii. to agree in relation to its employees to restrict the period for accepting
the initiation of a “transfer in” from Other Occupational Pension Schemes
to 12 months from entry to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
14. Equality Schemes
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005, which came into effect in 2006, requires public bodies subject to the Disability Equality Duty to publish an annual report on progress towards meeting the Disability Equality Duty and to review their Disability Equality Schemes after 3 years. The review obligation can be met by early adoption of a Single Equality Scheme, covering all the statutory equalities strands, which will in any case become a requirement under the pending Single Equality Act.
There is circulated for noting Report No Fire-45-09 dated 13 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer presenting, as circulated separately in Booklet A, (a) an updated Disability Equality Scheme for the Fire Service, outlining the actions the Service will undertake in 2009-2012 in order to meet legislative requirements (Appendix 1), and (b) the Service’s annual report setting out how the Service has fulfilled its action plan for the year 2008-2009 (Appendix 2).
As work on the Board’s Single Equality Scheme 2009-2012 and Disability Equality Scheme Annual Report 2009 has not yet been completed, Members are asked to delegate powers to the Clerk to finalise and publish these by the due date of 4 December 2009, in consultation with the Convener, Vice Convener and the Board’s Equality and Diversity Champions, Mr J H Ford and Mrs H Carmichael.
15. Member Development
There is circulated for noting Report No Fire-46-09 dated 19 November 2009 by the Clerk updating the Board on progress in putting in place a Member Development Programme for Members of the Board and advising Members that:
i. a Training Needs Analysis will be conducted in January 2010; and
ii. a proposed Member Development Programme will be reported to the
Board in April 2010.
16. Estate Management
There is circulated Report No. Fire-47-09 dated 18 November 2009 by the Chief Fire Officer on a number of Estate Management issues.
The Board is asked to note the various updates in the report and to approve:
i. engagement with the North Territory Hub to explore opportunities for
future participation in full partnership or membership;
ii. the proposals relating to additional requirements at Rousay;
iii. further investigation to develop the acquisition option for early
development at Sandwick; and
iv. the new agency arrangement for procuring electricity.
17. Capital Programme Monitoring Report
There is circulated for noting Report No. Fire-48-09 dated 19 November 2009 by the Director of Housing and Property of the Highland Council summarising the status of all current key projects carried out for the Board.
18. Presentation on the New Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue
Service Website
A presentation will be given on the new Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service Website.
19. Schedule of Meetings 2010
There is circulated for approval Report No. Fire-49-09 dated 4 November 2009 by the Clerk recommending a schedule of meetings for 2010.
20. Execution of Deeds
Members are asked to note the following deed recently executed on behalf of the Board:
- Disposition by Highland and Islands Fire Board in favour of Mark Finlayson and Zoe Clarke of the former Fire Garage at Park Road, Lochcarron.
21. Exclusion of the Public
The Board is asked to resolve that, under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act, the relevant paragraphs being shown.
22. Post of Chief Fire Officer
Paragraph 1
There will follow to Members only report by the Clerk, together with Minutes of Meetings of the Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee held on 22 October, 16 November and 20 November 2009.